Continuous casting is a method of converting molten metal into semi-finished metal products such as billets, blooms, or slabs, and is useful for high volume and continuous production. The process is commonly used to form steel, but may be used to form other metals, such as aluminum and copper. Typically in continuous casting, molten metal is collected in a trough called a tundish and then passed at a precisely controlled rate into a primary cooling zone. In the primary cooling zone, the molten metal enters a solid mold (frequently made of copper, and often water-cooled). The solid mold draws heat from the molten metal causing a solid “skin” of metal to form around a still liquid core. The solid clad liquid metal is referred to as a strand.
Typically, the strand then passes into a secondary cooling zone and passes through a spray chamber where a cooling medium (e.g., water) is sprayed to further cool the metal. Examples of spraying technology used in spraying chambers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,699,202, 4,494,594, 4,444,495, 4,235,280, 3,981,347, 6,360,973, 7,905,271, and 8,216,117, which are incorporated herein by reference. After passing through the spray chamber, the metal further solidifies and may be cut into billets, blooms or slabs for shipping.
The environment in a continuous caster, including the spray chamber, can be highly corrosive. Corrosive conditions are associated with poor quality metal production, lost production time, increased maintenance costs and downtime, damage to the caster and pipes, and increased safety risks to operators.
Conditions in the caster may be monitored to determine optimal metal (e.g., steel) manufacture and avoid breaks in production. Monitoring conditions in the upper zone of the spray chamber is complicated, however, by extreme high temperatures (e.g., above 1,500° C.), extreme pH, inaccessibility to this zone during production, and the presence of particulate debris from the metal production that have a high tendency to agglomerate.
There is a need for alternative solutions to reduce corrosion and remove particle debris formed in spray chambers of continuous casters. Additionally, a need exists for improved systems and methods for monitoring spray chambers during operation.
Discussion of any references in this patent application provides context for the present disclosure and is not an admission that any such reference or references constitutes “prior art” to the claimed invention.